Dressing up as ‘Rosie the Riveter’

This is the third year I’ve committed to creating a Halloween costume from items already in my own closet. Two years ago, I dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, and last year, I dressed up ’20s style as Phryne Fisher.

This year, I’m dressing up as Rosie the Riveter, inspired by the iconic propaganda poster commissioned by the U.S. War Production Coordinating Committee and created by artist J. Howard Miller in 1943.

My husband did such an awesome job “recreating” the poster, and it was a really fun photo shoot! (I took these pics last weekend, but this is what I’m wearing today at work for Halloween.)

I got the idea when preparing for a library instruction class for a Women in U.S. History class earlier this month. I also thought it was a nice way to pay homage to my maternal grandmother and her service during WWII.

This is a super easy costume to put together, as you need only jeans, a chambray button-up shirt, and a bandana or scarf. Red lipstick is a great finishing touch!

I have short hair and bangs, so I just wrapped my red-white-and-blue bandana around my bob. My bangs are too short to roll up, so I simply swooped them up and to the side, as seen above, to echo the overall look.

Outtake alert! This outtake also highlights the polka dot pattern on my vintage red-white-and-blue scarf, which I’ve had nearly all my life. (I used to dress my dolls up in this scarf!)

I felt both strong and feminine in this costume! I know that the “Rosie the Riveter” propaganda and “We Can Do It!” slogan was originally created only to inspire women to temporarily work for the war effort while the men were fighting overseas — but it has rightfully become an iconic image and rallying cry for women in the workplace.

Love this, Jen! You recreated it perfectly, and I love the poster your husband created. I’ve also been recreating my costumes from things I already own the past few years. Super excited about this year’s costume and hope to have it up on the blog over the weekend.

Thanks, Jennie! My husband really got into recreating the poster, so it was fun for him to be involved in the costume as well. 🙂 And I LOVED how your costume came out, with the grayscale film noir look. So creative!

Oh yes, I remember this one! Brilliant again! It’s so nice that you do it with items from your wardrobe! When I dress up for World Book day at school, I always create it from items in my wardrobe which I think is much better (for the environment!) and much more creative!x

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